Tile



A. V. KELLER Jan. 31, 1933.

TILE

Filed Jan. 15, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A. V. KELLER Jan. 31, 1933.

TILE

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 15,

Patented Jan. 31, 1933 UNITED STATES AUGUSTE VICTOR KELLER, or rnunnnnsnny, ENGLAND TILE Application filed January 15, 1929, Serial No.

This invention relates to tiles ,for the sheathing or covering of walls, ceilings and other surfaces, and more particularly to interlocking tiles having their edges provided with alternate projections and recesses, the projections being adapted to slip into and engage with the corresponding recesses of the adjacent tiles.

The invention has for its main object to provide new or improved tileshaving' the projections and recesses on their edges of such uniform regularity, angularity and formation, that a common principle ofconstruction can be applied to a wide range of various polygonal shapes and sizes of tiles.

A furtherobject of the invention isto enable a universal interengagement and correct fitting of any size or shape of tile to be obtainecl, so that a tiled sheathing or Covering can be applied to a wall or surface of irregular outline, Without unduly cutting away or trimming the tiles or the projections, when endeavouring to accommodate a variation from ordinary straightforward grouping or bonding. Another object of the invention is to provide a tile of the interlocking type which can 7 be fitted in place between or beside adjacent tiles without presenting any difliculty as regards the interengagement of the projections and recesses on the edgesof the respective tiles.

. The invention has also for its object to provide anvinterlocking tile in which the projections and recesses are all of substantially similar right-angled triangular shape and of equal size, the apices of the triangular projections being however rounded or slightly abbreviated if desiredin order to facilitate manufacture and to render the tile less liable to damage. 7

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, as hereafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which, I

Figure 1 is a front view of a portion of wall-sheathed with my improved tiles, fitted half-bond. I a

Figure 2 is a similar view of an end por 332,854 ,and in Great Britain May 1s, 192s.

an of wall, sheathed with a was (if e195 of various shapes and sizes. 7 F igure 3 IS a rear vlew'of the arrangement engagement. I

. f the tiles in Figure 1, showing their inter- Figure 4L isarear. view of the arrangement of the tiles'in Figure 2, showing the common principle of interengagementof, the various tiles.

Figure 5 is a tile of rectangular shape. 1

Figure 6' is a rear view of agroup of square tiles demonstrating the fitting of an entering ti e. o c

Figure 7 is a diagramon a largerscale', illustratin'g the angular formation of the projectionsand recesses of a tile edge. v

The tiles may be composed of wood, metal, moulded compo'und or like sheet or any combination of such sheets: the mouldedfcompound referred to may consist of a clay'or like earth'admixed with a suitable binder and glazed, coloured and fired, or it may be of fibrous or cellular nature, preferably powdered and admixed with asuitable binder, or r it maybe a chemical product, with or without' a filling materiahffor example a. natural orsynthetic resin or any such compound or substance as may be moulded by pressure and/or heat. 1

The tiles'are made to any required size, but preferably always "of rectangular shape; in practice, the dimensions of the tiles will be determined by multiples of a standard unit which remains fixed for any desired range ofinterengageable tiles. Assuming a standard unit of oneinch, then thetilescan be made in sizes of one inch square, twoinches square, etc., as well as in sizes of one by two,

one bythree, etc., two by three, two byfour, i

lar and most frequently used sizes and shapes, 9

as illustrated in Figure 1, but also tiles of 7 various different shapes and sizes, as illustrated in Figure 2, can be fitted to a=wall with equal facility of interlocking, so that the tiles are adaptable to widely varying conditions i perspective view of a single 4.0

end irregular shapes of the wall or other surace.

In Figures 1 and 3, the'tiles arb are of two different sizes, the tiles on being for example of eight inches by four, and the tiles 6 being of four inches square; these two sizes of tile are arranged to break j oint, giving the appearance of 'a half-bond in brickwork.

The manner in which the interlocking projections and recesses of the tiles are disposed will be apparentfrom Figure 3, where it is seen that the oblong tiles a comprise four projections 0 on each of their longer sides,

. ing shape. a 7

As shown more clearly in Figure 7, the

and two such projections on each of their shorter sides, while the square tiles 5 comprise two projections 0 on each side; alternating with theseprojections c in each case, there are provided recesses d of correspondsides 8 ofieach projection 0 enclose an area which" is of the shape of an isosceles rightangled triangle, theright-angle f of which projects outwardly and forms the apex of the c projection, while the base of the triangle conforms with the side oredge gv of the tile. The base of this triangle constitutes the unit mentioned above, being in the present instance assumed to be one inch long.

1 The sides 6 of the triangular projection 0 cross theedge g of the tile at an inner angle in Figure 7.

of forty-five de rees and an outer angle of one hundred an thirty-five degrees, as shown Each side e is continued inwards in the same plane into the back 2' of the tile for a distance equal to that from the apex f to its point of intersection-with the tile edge'g. The inward extension 0 of the side e thus forms one side of a similar right angled triangle, having its base likewise conforming with the'side or edge 9 of the tile.

This innervtriangular area is undercut to formthe recess (Z which is of substantially H; the same area and depth or thickness as the projection 0. A small clearance maybe allowed by making the projection can easy fit in the recess (Z, thereby allowing the projection to enter easily into place and to be adjustable slightly to suit minor variations of the surface towhich the tile is aflixed. The tile edge'g thus forms the base of a series 'of isosceles triangles alternating on opposite.

sides and forming the projections 0- and recesses (Z respectively.

The triangular projection 0 may extend to a sharp point, as shown at f in Figure 7 or'be rounded at the apex as at 7,- or be slightly abbreviated as at F; by this cutting off a small portion of theapex of the triangular projections c, the'tile is rendered less liable to damage in the course of fitting.

' In Figures 2 aud t, the tiles are shown in V a plurality of different'sizes, viz'. av tile a of eight inches'by'four, a tile 3) of four inches "(35 square, atile j of sixv inches by four, a tile is of six inches square, a tile Z of four inches by two, a tile on ofthree inches by two, a tile n of four inches by one, a tile 0 of two inches square, and two tiles ;0 of one inch square.

It will be seen from Figure 4 that all these o 7 various tiles are provided with projections 0 andgrecesses d of similar triangular shape, so-that as in the previous case the tiles can all be interengaged to form an interlocked sheathing orsurface covering; owing however to their differences of size and shape, the

tiles can be arranged and fitted together so as to form a contmuous covering for walls or surfaces of irregular outline.- 7

The outer edges of the tiles may be framed and covered by amoulding'or beading g, one vor more edges of which'are preferably provided with alternate projections 07 and recesses d correspondingto those. of thet'iles.

Figure 5 illustratesasquare tile 6 having each of its edges the upper face of the'tile has a bevelled edge 6 to represent a-jointure or pointing betweenadjacent tiles irr'the completed structure.1

1 The right-angled triangular formationof three projections c andthree-recessesfd,along the projections 0 and recesseschas already parallelism of any combination of til whetherof equal size as in Figure 6'or of unequal sizes as in Figuresjl to 4. Although the invention is especiallyvaluable in the forming of brick, fhalf-bond or other staggered patterns,'as in Figures 1 and 3,

iio

it'is also applicable to all ordinary'patterns and a very wide rangeof intricately designed patterns. I j p V H Any alteration of the height of the 'engagement of a tile such asb in Figure 2 in relation toanother, as may be required in patterning or variedbonding, does not affect the positioning of ensuingtiles as '0' and y p,

which areautomatically located and engaged, r

and will do so to'almost any degree of inter- "cha-ngeabilityf A particular. advantage of the invention is the ease by which a rapid conversion may be accomplished from ordinary straightforward tiling or covering of 'a surface to an intricately designed effect,

without prejudice to the neat setting of such designs and the maintenance of uniformity;

the right-angled triangular shaped projections 0 and recesses d permit of a universal ,ad ustabilltycand correctness with any size used. The combination of these projections and recesses may be incorporated in the design even when the tile is constructed of a moulded or like compound.

Ihe projections a may be perforated as at r the holes being preferably countersunk for the reception of nails or screws, whereby the tile may be fixed to a supporting surfaces. One point of fixture only may be necessary, the selection or number of fixing points being controlled by the firmness or easiness of fixing, and the desired rigidity of the work.

The tilesmay be made of other than rectangular shape wherever necessary, with only one, two or three edges carrying projections and recesses as desired, especially when the tile is used as a skirting, capping, angle bead or moulding as at q in Figure 1.

The tile may be embossed, engraved, indented, metallic-finished, stencilled, painted by hand, or otherwise finished or ornamented, or it may be used as a medium for the presentation of posters, or other announcement display sheets.

What I claim is 1. A tile adapted to be interengaged with any one of a series of tiles of varying dimensions, comprising an integrally-moulded, rectangular slab with projections and recesses alternating along its edges, each of said projections and recesses being of a depth approximately equal to half thethickness of said slab, of right-angled triangular shape and of equal size, and the bases of said triangular projections and recesses being each equal to the side of the smallest tile of the same series. I

'2. In a surface covering of the type ,made up of interfitted tiles having their edges provided with alternating triangular projections and recesses with the projections of one tile engaged in the recesses of abutting tiles, the combination of two individual tiles fitted together, said two individual tiles having mutually abutting edges of difi'erent lengths, the length of each of said abutting edges being an even multiple of the base of each of said projections measured along the edge of the tile.

3. A surface covering, comprising a plurality of interfitting tales of non-uniform area, each of said tiles consisting of a slab of rectangular shape, said slab having rightangled triangular projections and recesses alternating along its edges, all the projections and recesses of the several tiles having their bases, measured along said edges, of equal length, and said length being an even sub-multiple of the lengths of all said edges.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

AUGUSTE VICTOR KELLER. 

